Description
These extremely rare geckos would have to be my favorite of
the Knobtail species. They are a rough skinned variety of Knobtail with
glaring blue eyes and an orange and brown banded pattern running down
their body. Some of them hatch out with apparent or missing bands, which
could show potential for unusual morphs being produced in the future.
They have a peculiar habit of very deliberately kicking sand onto their
backs to camouflage themselves. It is a lot of fun to watch them do
this. I am developing a pretty diverse group and have been producing
some of the best looking offspring I have seen available. As with all
rough skinned Knobtails they prefer a hot dry environment. They average
around 6” in length making them one of the largest of the Australian
geckos. They are very hardy and quite prolific under the right
conditions. These are one of the most sought after geckos on the planet.
It seems that everybody wants some.
General Care Information
I have been thrilled with this species since they day I got
my first pair. They just do so well for me. They eat great and have
produced a number of very nice offspring. I am going to give you
information on the basics of a breeder set up for these guys, but you
can certainly utilize a more naturalistic vivarium if you choose to set
them up for display. I have mine set up in Boaphile Plastics “Five
Drawer Sideways (Sterilite) Blanket RhinoRaxx” racks. These are very
nice racks, which I highly recommend, but any rack will work just fine.
I keep them in my shoebox racks as hatchling and move them up to
Sterilite #1754 sweater boxes as adults. I will breed the adult females
in these same boxes. The temps are in the upper 80’s at the warm end of
the cage. I keep them in a dry environment with a red sand substrate ½”
deep. In the box I keep a medium 6” plastic plant saucer turned upside
down with a hole cut in the side. I keep this on the cool end of the
box. As adult females for breeding I add a medium sized Rubbermaid
container with a hole cut in the lid filled with a damp peat moss / sand
mix. The females will utilize this as an egg-laying container. I only
put it in her cage when she is getting ready to lay. Females of this
species always seem to shed just days before laying a clutch, so if you
have a female that you know is gravid and she sheds you will want to
start watching her closely and make sure she has an appropriate place to
lay her eggs. I feed all of my geckos in the evening as they are
nocturnal and this seems to work best for me. I offer them appropriately
sized crickets or Blaptica dubia, which have been dusted with a calcium
supplement such as (Miner-All Indoor). They require very little
moisture, which is supplied in the form of a gentle mist every other day
at feeding time. These are the basics you need to know to successfully
keep this species based on my experience and what has worked for me. I
am always happy to supply my customers with additional information or
answer any questions you may have along the way.
Click thumbnails to view
larger image.
Click HERE to view more photos in my
Nephrurus wheeleri cinctus
album.
